Can anyone suggest a source of short definitions of the kind that might be used for basic memorisation with students, or as a note in a reader? For these applications, even complex lemmas would aim for only five or six word definitions.

I have the LSJ (via Perseus) and StrongsXML (via Bible Foundation) as files, and thus databases, and any number of books, but these definitions tend toward completeness, and the vocab-oriented books would have to be critically combined to produce a work that could be used and shared freely. There are only 5,300 lemmas in the NT (vs ~35000 in the LSJ; and only half those appear more than twice), but it would still take some time to produce a Creative Commons dictionary for this purpose. The StrongsXML has a KJV_DEF field that might make a good starting point but is full of words like "strumpet" and "lambkin", and has no declension/gender info.

Note: To be useful the resource would preferably be downloadable (not just a web-based lookup tool; though it's possible to write a script to rip accessible data) and either public domain or licensed for re-use, e.g. as CC-BY-SA. I've been looking around for a while, but haven't seen anything like this. Any leads would be much appreciated.

Nigel Chapman wrote:Can anyone suggest a source of short definitions of the kind that might be used for basic memorisation with students, or as a note in a reader? For these applications, even complex lemmas would aim for only five or six word definitions.

I think all the Bible software companies offer this as a resource -- but of course you have to buy their software.

I've been told repeatedly that this little dictionary really does serve some useful purpose, but it's always seemed to me that one ought to be beyond that not very long after finishing a basic course in Biblical Greek; one really needs to be able to differentiate more precisely and to see an array of exemplary usages for the nuances of words that are really important. This is the dictionary about which Mark Lightman might more appropriately have said,

Later on you will want to upgrade to no lexicon at all.

-- except that students who are serious about study of the GNT really will find BDAG indispensable.

Despite having this in my possession, I had entirely forgotten about it! Perhaps that pays it the respect you were intending --

I've been told repeatedly that this little dictionary really does serve some useful purpose, but it's always seemed to me that one ought to be beyond that not very long after finishing a basic course in Biblical Greek; one really needs to be able to differentiate more precisely and to see an array of exemplary usages for the nuances of words that are really important.

Agreed, as far as later learning goes; this is not an exercise in lexicography. I'm suggesting that 1) there needs to be an initial short place-holder for memorization, which is always an acknowledged approximation. And, 2) for software purposes especially, something so rudimentary should be publicly available rather than only existing under copyright restriction.

I can't legally rip the Louw-Nida from laparola, so unless I can find a similar text in the public domain, I may just have to compile one from a few sources and make it a Creative-Commons document. Going forward, the aim would be to link each word to representative examples of it's uses.

I suspect what you want to do is similar to what laparola.net does, providing a gloss for the word along with the parsing information when you wave a mouse over it? For that, I think it's important to keep it brief.

It has the advantage that it exists now. I wonder if there's any enthusiasm for starting with Strong's, putting it in a source code repository, and improving it over time to come up with something like a better Barclay-Newman. We could use github for something like that.

While Perseus is good, it does lack some words contained in the NT, LXX, and Early Christian Writings.I am attempting to include all of them in my lexiconhttp://www.motorera.com/greek/lexicon/a.htmlIt is also available for Kindle through Amazon atB009GP45LU entitled Biblical Greek LexiconCheers,John Barach